The Marauders of Hogwarts
by SoulSummoner
Summary: The school life of the Marauders of Hogwarts, and all the dangers of being wizards. It will eventually lead up to Harry in school and continue on.
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer: You obviously know which characters are mine or J.K Rowling (just so you know) The characters you don't recognize are mine! This also has a little cursing so isn't good for young kids. This is happening around their 5th year.  
  
The Marauder's of Hogwarts (refers to the makers of the marauder's map)  
  
James's head bobbed as he struggled to stay awake. He sat in (to him at least) the most boring class of all, Defense Against the Dark Arts. He looked out the window next to his desk and watched the snow fall.  
  
"MR. POTTER!"  
  
"Hmm...?"He mumbled, jumping in surprise. He looked up at the teacher.  
  
"Well?" said Professor Banner testily.  
  
"Well...what...?" asked James, confused.  
  
"Can you tell me how to repel a werewolf?" He said stiffly.  
  
"Uh...say shoo...or throw a bone?"he said shrugging. The class erupted into laughter. All but one, Severus Snape.  
  
"Mr. Potter, come here." Commanded Professor Banner. James stood and strode down the aisle, calm and relaxed. The laughs began to die away, James glanced over at his friends. Sirius Black gave him the thumbs up and a grin, Peter Pettigrew was covering his mouth to stop the giggles, Remus Lupin sat simply and just smiled and nodded, Alastor Moody was too busy reading his book to notice anything. He then glanced over to the other side of the room. He spotted Snape first, sneering at him. He would have to remind himself to dunk him in the pond later. Next...he spotted Lily Evans.  
  
She was writing something, he slowed his pace. She looked up at him, glared and shook her head.  
  
Sighing, he reached the Professors desk.  
  
"Yeah?" he asked stretching.  
  
"Take this to the Headmaster...Please." He said examining James over the rim of his glasses.  
  
"Wha...what! Professor Banner...?! What did I...?!" He stammered, getting sent to the headmaster was a BIG thing! Made for the biggest trouble-makers. He had only gotten detentions and stuff, never this before!  
  
"Potter, it's not what you did now," James sighed "but it's for all the things you've been doing over the past...oh...6 months. Personally Potter you're a pain in the butt, and I'm sick of it. Get out!" he finally snarled. The whole class was really quiet, listening to their conversation.  
  
"Hey! James, you aren't going down with out me!" Sirius yelled from his seat. He leaped up and joined James in the front of the room.  
  
"Good! I'll be rid of you both then!"Professor Banor growled as he wrote Sirius up too. James grinned and gave Sirius a low-5. Snape was struggling not to laugh out loud now.  
  
"Now," he hissed, "begone! And may the Headmaster finally be rid of you, we can only hope!"  
  
"Yup...I guess so, but I'll really miss this place..." Sirius said lazily, staring at the class.  
  
"Out!" the Professor fumed.  
  
The two of them left glaceing back at a surprised Peter, Lupin, and Moody. Both of them waved at them with big similes as they went through the door. But once the door closed behind them both grew concerned, and angry.  
  
"Shit, James what have you been doing for the pass 6 months? Enough to get in this much trouble?! Blimey, the headmaster, possible expulsion... they make it sound like you killed someone!"  
  
"What! You got yourself into this, so don't you pin this on me!"James yelled defensively.  
  
"Easy mate, just joking..." Sirius stopped to think for a moment, "Where is Professors Dippets office anyway?"he asked curiously.  
  
"It's behind that gargoyle on the first floor." James mumbled looking at the note Professor Banner had written.  
  
Sirius looked over his shoulder to look at it too.  
  
"Man! He makes it sound as if we did a crime or something. 'Destroyed the intellectual being of the classroom', 'committed this horrid crime numerous times', 'wasted precious time', 'deserve to be EXPELLED IMMEDIATELY and have their wands destroyed'." Sirius said copying the Professors voice. "I always thought Banner was a bast..."  
  
"Do you really want to finish that vulgar sentence Black?"came an icy, sly voice.  
  
Both Sirius and James jumped and spun around to see Snape smiling smugly and with his wand in hand, just in case.  
  
"Oh, it's just you Snivelly,"James laughed stuffing the Professors note in his pocket. They could go later, but this could turn out to be too much fun to pass up.  
  
Snape turned red at the childish nick-name that James had made up. He shook it off and regained his cruel sneer.  
  
"Shouldn't you be with the Headmaster, Potter?" he teased. "It's none of your business of what we do or don't do!" Sirius retorted.  
  
"I hear the snapping of a wand, no, two wands!" Snape laughed pretending to listen really hard "At least that's what I'm going to be hearing when you get your sorry ass's expelled!". Laughing hideously, Snape took a few steps back towards the classroom...he never saw it coming.  
  
"Watch your language Snivelly, Scourgify!"James yelled.  
  
"Expellarmes!"Sirius yelled when he saw Snape go for his fallen wand.  
  
Snape gagged on the bubbles and then was hurled backwards, his wand flying down the hall.  
  
"What's going on here!" yelled Professor Banner as he came from the shadows of his classroom. The bell had rung a while ago and everyone was gone. If Banner wanted to really hurt them now would be the perfect time, with no witnesses.  
  
Peter ran out of the room, gaping at them.  
  
"Uh oh..." He said quietly, looking from James to Sirius to Snape on the floor moaning. "This is not looking good." He gave a yelp as Professor Banner shoved him away.  
  
"Well, well, well, well, well...PERFECT!" he laughed gleefully, "Now I have double the reason to have you expelled! Where's the paper?! Give it to me, now!" he demanded, with fire in his eyes.  
  
Enraged James yanked the note from his pocket and shoved it into the Professors hands. The Professor added something to it and gave it back to him. Blindly, James shoved it back into the same pocket and stormed away with Sirius in his wake.  
  
"Potter, Black!"he yelled after them.  
  
"WHAT!? I mean...yes Professor?"James said struggling to swallow his anger. Sirius just glared at Banner.  
  
"Strait to the Headmaster... no...detours alone the way. If I get word that you weren't there not only will I have another thing to add to your "nice little" list, but I will be sure to make you lives a living hell. If I am disobeyed again, so help me...understand!?" he finished in a snarled.  
  
"Yes." They both muttered with their heads bowed to hide their rage.  
  
The two of them stormed off together.  
  
"Now what?!" James cried in near despair when they were out of earshot.  
  
"We'll have to go...if we don't want to get in anymore trouble." moaned Sirius who was still furious.  
  
"We'll get through this, we always do...even if it's not always a good way out."James mumbles brokenly.  
  
"Yeah, but your missing an important element..." "What?" James asked wondering what else could have gone wrong.  
  
"We've never been caught "attacking" other "students", if that's what you want to call Snivelly. We always made sure no one was around...we were careless this time. So we won't know what to do, 'cause we're...experts..." Sirius thought for a moment, "just think of this as a new thing to learn for 'just in case' for later, a new experience."  
  
"Yeah, but it might be our last."  
  
"We didn't hurt him though...so we have a good chance of getting detentions, but not expelled." Sirius said trying to use logic.  
  
"I still think it will be our last..." James muttered.  
  
"Why we're fine! We won't get expelled...at least I don't think so."  
  
"I'm talking about Banners threat. The rest of our school lives are going to be a living hell or is your memory span that short!"  
  
"Ah..." he said calmly, dismissing James's worries with a wave of his hand, "don't worry about that." James started to relax. What was he worry about, he had never been worried about this before.  
  
He ran his fingers through his hair messing it up as usual. "Most Dark Arts teachers don't last more than a year...I swear that jobs cursed!" James said making his stride long and with extreme confidence. He was completely relaxed now, and looked around with his usual arrogance.  
  
"True," Sirius mused, then noticed James ruffling his hair, "Why do you do that?" he asked curiously.  
  
"Do what?"  
  
"Mess up your hair?"  
  
"The girls love it!"James replied grinning.  
  
"Oh..." Sirius said rolling his eyes so James couldn't see it. He brushed his own hair neatly back even though it didn't work. His hair fell handsomely back into his eyes, its usual place. He smiled as a certain someone across the hall looked at him with a soft smile of her own.  
  
"So do you think their expelled?"Peter asked as he fidgeted in the Gryffindor common room.  
  
"No" Lupin said confidently for the 15th time. He was so absorbed in the Daily Prophet that he didn't notice this.  
  
"Sit down already!" Moody growled, "Your making me sick!" Peter plopped down into a chair by the window and sighed deeply.  
  
A few minutes later the porthole opened and James and Sirius walked through.  
  
"Well?" Peter nearly yelled, jumping from his seat.  
  
"What?" James and Sirius asked together, they glanced at each other and broke into laughter.  
  
"Well?" Peter persisted, "Your obviously not expelled...or you've gone crazy..."  
  
"Of corse not Pitty-grew, and since when have we even been sane?!" James teased.  
  
"Pettigrew." Peter automatically corrected.  
  
Sirius sighed and rolled his eyes.  
  
"No we're not expelled...just so you slow people know," He joked looking at Peter. He then sat down next to lupin by the fireplace. "but we do have 3 weeks worth of detention." He finished slowly.  
  
"Blimey! 3 weeks?!" Peter nearly yelled, shocked.  
  
"And warnings," James added, "He said 'If we do it again the punishment will be far worse and possible expulsion'."  
  
"Well you can't say you didn't deserve it." Lupin said absently, turning a page of the paper.  
  
"What! I only gave a 'smart' answer and Sirius only stood up for me! And we deserved this?!"James yelled wondering why Lupin wasn't taking their side as usual.  
  
"Not for that nonsense! Not the stuff with Banner...he just hates you...but for attacking Snape..."  
  
"Oh, come on! We do that all the time!" Sirius said in a low hissing voice so no one outside their group could hear.  
  
"Hmm..." was Lupin's only reply.  
  
"The normal response for a prefect!" James whispered.  
  
"What do you think about Banner, Moody?" Peter asked the young sacrificed wizard, who was playing wizards chess by himself.  
  
"Remember, I don't take sides." was his neutral response.  
  
"Come on say something in their Defense! Some moral support! Encouragement?! Congrads. ?!" Peter demanded, flustered.  
  
"I have the right to remain silent." was his distracted reply. "Fine if that's how it is!" James snapped testily, "Come on Sirius we owe good old Snivilly Snape 3 weeks worth of beatings!" 


	2. A rather brave move

Disclaimer: you know who's mine and not mine. Erica is defiantly mine.  
  
Hope this chapter turns out well, please tell me what you think. The middle of this chapter is really funny(to me at least)!!!  
  
Chapter 2  
  
A rather bold move  
  
"That's it! I give up!" Lupin howled as he was writing his semester paper.  
  
James and Sirius had given up a long time ago and were now playing wizards chess.  
  
"Man! I knew I would hate 5th year!" Peter groaned. He rubbed his head, "What's your topic Lupin? I bet ya it's not half as bad as mine."  
  
"Really..." Lupin replied slyly, "How much?"  
  
"5 sickles." Peter laughed, Lupin wasn't known for gambling.  
  
"Centaurs! Ha! Now cough it up!" he said triumphantly as Peters face fell in disappointment.  
  
"Naw..." Peter said slowly.  
  
"What?! Hey I won, giv'em to me." He said annoyed, "Why?! What's your topic?" he said his hand still stretched out for the coins.  
  
"Dragons." Peter replied sadly.  
  
"What!" Sirius yelled in shock from the chess board, "Dragons?! That's the easiest one of all. Give me your topic if you don't want it." He asked hopefully.  
  
"I want it," Peter said quietly, feeling as if they were all ganging up on him as usual, "But I don't know were to start." He nearly cried, brokenly.  
  
"Don't know where to start! Honestly Wormtail! There's fire breath, talons, teeth, magical uses, magical resistence, size, habits, different types... " Lupin began to lecture.  
  
"I know, I know! That's why I can't figure out where to start! There's so much to choose from!"  
  
"He's got ya there." Moody said quietly. He watched as James moved his Rook which destroyed one of Sirius's Pawns. Sighing, Sirius made his counter attack.  
  
"What do you guys have?" Peter asked after a long silence.  
  
"Uh...Basilisk...I think" James said, half paying attention to Peter.  
  
"And you?" Peter asked Moody and Sirius. "Trolls." Moody said with a grunt.  
  
Peter laughed historically, when he stopped Sirius answered.  
  
"Unicorns."  
  
"Cool. Really?" asked peter who looked as if he was about to laugh again, but got a warning look from Sirius, "That's...uh...gonna be hard..." he coughed, trying to hide a smile.  
  
"No, It'll be easy."  
  
"I mean it's going to be hard to write about 6 to 7 pages on just unicorns."  
  
"Oh...yeah I guess..." Sirius said half-heartedly. His Queen took one of James's Knights, leaving his King open for attack.  
  
There was another long silence. The fire cracked, and the gusting winds outside blew snow everywhere. You couldn't see more than a few feet in front of the window.  
  
"Oh shoot!" James mumbled as he realized a huge mistake in his defense. Sirius took his chance and took James's King, ending the game.  
  
"Oh well, game over. Good that was starting to get boring!" he said as he stretched.  
  
Sirius did the same and looked around the Gryffindor common room, and spotted Erica.  
  
"Hey Prongs," he asked using James's nickname, "how old was you sister again?"  
  
"Who? Erica? Oh...she's barley a half year younger that me...she's in our classes, remember? Why?"  
  
Sirius shrugged, "Just wondering." He looked back at her.  
  
Erica looked a lot like James, just prettier. Erica was about as tall as James and had really dark brown hair (with hazel highlights that she had put in a year before) like James. The only characteristics that were different was eye color, she had brilliant emerald green eyes and James had brownish eyes. The other differences were that her grades were a lot better than his. Unlike James she never got in trouble and her grades were all O's (outstanding) never anything lower.  
  
Sirius couldn't even remember the last time he had taken interest in a girl, and not the other way around. Girls were always flirting around with him, then again Erica was different. She was friendly, smart(very), and didn't go looking for a guy and bug him.  
  
He got up and walked over to her.  
  
"Hey." He said calmly as he slid on top of the table looking real casual.  
  
On the other side of the room Lupin poked everyone to attention to watch Sirius.  
  
She looked up annoyed at first then happy when she realized who it was. "Hey, Black." She said as she set her quill down, "How's the paper going?" "You mean the nasty little 7 page one, on a creature that we'll probably never meet or have to worry about in this lifetime or the next?" Sirius asked innocently.  
  
"That's the one." She laughed.  
  
"Nope, never heard of it." He said smoothly.  
  
"Oh come on, What's you topic?"  
  
"Unicorns. And you?" he asked as he glanced down at her paper.  
  
"Pegasus...wow that's strange. Aren't unicorns and Pegasus closely related?" she turned a few pages in her book on Pegasus, "Yup." She said after reading for a moment "knew it!"  
  
"Cool." He said absently mindedly as he noticed his friends were watching him. He shook his fist at them while Erica was looking down at her book again. "Hey, actually I was wondering if you could help me on my paper...since our creatures are so closely related and everything..." he asked as about 13 second years came in from a fencing club.  
  
"Sure, but I have a feeling it's about to get really noisily in here, so lets go to the library. We could also find some new books there. Go get your stuff." She said as she neatly put her things in her bag.  
  
"Great! Meet ya at the porthole in a few minutes." He said excitedly.  
  
"Well?!" James asked as Sirius ran back to their table and began randomly shoving things into his bag. "You ask her out yet or something? You've been wanting to..." he said with a sly grin.  
  
"Nope, but I got the next best thing." He was about to run to the porthole but skidded to a stop. "It...It is ok with you right...?"  
  
"Of course, but it's not really my choice...it's hers." James said, leaning far back on two legs of his chair. He said this thoughtfully, and stared outside.  
  
Sirius readjusted his bag on his shoulder and ran towards the porthole and yelled back to them, "Your sisters the greatest!"  
  
"I know..."James said quietly smiling, and hoped Sirius didn't screw up.  
  
"Hey, here's one!" Erica whispered.  
  
"Really? Let me see." He whispered back, he then took the book and examined it. He made sure he kept a hand on the stool Erica was standing on.  
  
"Yeah, this is great." He said honestly. "It has a good chapter on dragons too, I'll bring this one back for Worm...I mean, Peter..." he said quickly correcting himself. "Why do you call him Wormtail?" she asked not missing a step in his mistake. "And why do you call James Prongs and Lupin Moony?" "Uhh...secret..." he said evasively, the others would kill him if he said anything.  
  
"Really? James will tell me." She said confidently, she smiled at him as she took two rather large books from the top shelf and hopped down.  
  
Sirius doubted that James would say anything, but remained silent. The names were for their Animagus forms. James a stag, Lupin a werewolf (not an animagus form), Peter the rat and he was a black dog. If anyone ever found out, they would get a lot worse then getting expelled...a lot worse...  
  
"Can I call you Padfoot?"she asked, "or is it some kinda code that no one else can use...?"  
  
Sirius's heart leaped, "Of...sure you can...it's not really a code name or anything..." he said flushing red. He felt bad lying to her, yet he had a twisted feeling that she knew more than she was letting on.  
  
They sat down at their table where they had spread everything out. For the next 3 hours they worked seriously. Sirius finally began to loose his focus.  
  
"How can you do this all day?" he asked leaning his chair back on two legs.  
  
"Your gonna fall." She said calmly as she turned a page, "and I don't do this all day, but if you get into your work and like it...then it's easy."  
  
Sirius thought about this for a minute then finally said, "How about a break, even you need those...right?"  
  
"Sounds good." She stood and checked her silver wrist watch she was wearing. "Goodness it's almost time for dinner!"  
  
Suddenly Sirius's chair tipped all the way back and both he and the chair clattered to the floor. He sat for a moment, dazed.  
  
"Told ya." She laughed, giving him a hand up. Sirius's stomach growled furiously.  
  
"Lets go eat, I'm starved!"  
  
They left the library and started down the hall towards the dinning hall. Halfway down the hall they heard a trio of girls chant,  
  
"Black and Potter sitting in a tree K-I-S-S-I-N-G.  
First comes love,  
then comes marriage,  
then comes the baby in the baby carriage.  
That's not all, that's not all I saw Black with another brat!"  
  
They laughed hideously.  
  
Sirius started towards them.  
  
"Come on Sirius! Don't!" she begged. Why is she worried? She knows I'd never hex a girl! Sirius thought, not that these things are girls.  
  
Then he found out why she was worried.  
  
Snape and Malfoy stood behind the girls, wands drawn like swords.  
  
Both of them struck him at the same time. He was flung into the air and with a crash hit the hard, cold floor.  
  
"Sirius!" she shouted running to him. Sirius gagged and coughed and tried to stand, but the spell held him down. Erica was just 3 feet away from him when she was hit violently in the side with a stunning spell. She gasped and fell to the ground. After a few moments she picked herself up her face and body contorted in utter rage.  
  
"So what do you think of Black now, Potter?" shrieked Marada Sillson, who didn't notice Erica's anger...at least not yet.  
  
Erica stood to her full height (a little taller than most of the girls and Snape) her face was cold and unwelcoming. Then she abruptly relaxed and put her right hand on her hip. They had just messed with the bull and now here came the horns.  
  
"Your just jealous!" she said simply raising her head proudly. She took a few steps to her left to stand directly in front of Sirius, protecting him from further threat.  
  
Maranda and the other girls stopped laughing immediately.  
  
Any girl would be jealous of Erica. Having one of the most handsome boys in school like you was every girls wish. Maranda swallowed hard, embarrassed.  
  
"You'd go out with this git?!" Lucius Malfoy laughed, "then you're a mudblood, a filthy little mudblood to want to. He's been shunned by his own family. How pathetic! Not to mention his little twisted friends...little maggots, they are...no worse trolls. Not only are they as smart as one but they smell like one too!" Snape joined his laughter.  
  
"Really...? Me? A mudblood?" looking both undaunted, but sad. "Oh well!" she said cheerily, then her face twister into a true storming rage. The hall abruptly got cold, a haunting breeze whistled.  
  
"First of all," she hissed darkly, "you possess zero intimidation! I'm not bothered by your insults or crude remarks, but when you include other people...it's on!" she began to stalk forward wand in hand, "and if I'm what you impudent Slytherins call a mudblood then your are the most idiotic, hideous, vulgar piles of miserable excretions that ever have the privilege to be spat upon by every being of this world and the next! Second of all I'm a "pureblood" if that's what you call it, so your insults make absolutely no sense once so ever." Snape and Lucius were now backing away from her as she drew closer, the girls scattered like mice. "Third of all your intellectual IQ is that of a roach... wait, no that's insulting the roaches, ssssoooo your opinion is invalid and doesn't matter in the least! And..." she took a deep breath now( she had said this all very rapidly), "a cave troll could beat your bloody assess anytime, blindfolded and with both arms behind its back! Fourth of all, if Sirius is a git then he's my git! So go roast in turnips Lucius Malfoy, before I decide to use a certain rearranging charm that'll leave you begging for mercy!" she recoiled preparing to strike, but both Malfoy and Snape turned heel and ran as if their lives depended on it.  
  
"Wow!" Sirius gasped as he was finally able to stand, "That was amazing...but I kinda lost ya in the middle of it all." He said sheepishly.  
  
"Most do," she admitted "either that or I talk to fast."  
  
"I think it was brilliant!" he said this as his stomach gave a huge grumble.  
  
"Let's go eat!" Erica laughed.  
  
"Excellent!" he exclaimed, but then he started to think about what she had said. After a few minutes he asked "Do you really think I'm a git?"  
  
"Yeah...but think about it...you're my git." Erica laughed, after a second he started to laugh too.  
  
"Man!" Peter moaned, as he sat at the long Gryffingor table in the Great Hall. He shoved some potatoes in his mouth and chewed miserably. "I only got one page done in 3 hours...how much longer do you think it will take?" he asked the others as he stirred his soup.  
  
"Correction, half a page...not even half...more like ¼." Lupin was 3 pages into his own paper, he had been watching Peter struggle for the past 3 hours and get nearly nothing done. He had the Phoenixes, which was easy...to him.  
  
"Gee thanks." Peter mumbled sarcastically.  
  
"Anytime."  
  
"Hey look who's here!" James yelled as he half stood, waving his hands. Sirius caught sight of him and headed over.  
  
"I wonder..." Lupin mused looking at Sirius's smile...and limp.  
  
"Wonder what Lupin...? Hey Sirius, why are you limping? What happened?" Peter asked as Sirius sat down next to James.  
  
"You know that 7th year guy, Malfoy?"  
  
"Who doesn't?" James replied wryly.  
  
"Well he and Snape attacked me in the hall by the library...with Erica..." Sirius explained.  
  
"WHAT?!" James blazed, he was very protective of his sister like she was of him, "If he..." enraged, James stood but Sirius pulled him back down.  
  
"Don't worry, they just attacked me..." Sirius lied, "I don't think your sister needed protecting Prongs. She can take care of herself...after what I saw she kinda scares me..." he laughed.  
  
"Why?" Lupin asked curiously, "Not that I'm questioning a women's strength..." he corrected quickly as some girls sitting by them threw them dirty looks.  
  
"Shoot!" Sirius laughed, "She scared the wits out of them and insulted them at the same time! It was kinda cool..."  
  
"Sssooo how's the paper going...even though I doubt you were able to do much though all the kissing and stuff." James teased. He himself hadn't even started his paper. As usual he would do it last minute.  
  
"Done... almost just a paragraph left to do." He said through a mouthful of stew.  
  
"What?! Your done! You...Sirius Black...have finished your paper 3 days before it's even due?! And not 2 minutes before instead?!" Lupin said slowly and loudly, in complete shock. "James! We've lost Sirius to the Dark side!" Lupin pretended to sob.  
  
"Nnnooo! Someone call St. Mungo's! It's the end of the world." James yelled in fake horror.  
  
"Ooohhh stop!" Sirius growled in annoyance form all the stares they were getting.  
  
James leaped into a funeral song.  
  
"James, you git! I'm serious!" he said pulling him back down.  
  
"Yes you are serious, Sirius! Ha, get it?!" James laughed. "Ow...O.K., ok...Jeez where's your sense of humor?" James hissed as he received a hard pinch from Sirius.  
  
"Somewhere else right now." He said shrugging as he shifted to a more comfortable position. His back really hurt from his fall.  
  
"It's actually kinda nice that I don't have to worry about homework now." He admitted.  
  
"How about Erica, is she done?" Peter asked thoughtfully.  
  
"Of course, she finished a few minutes after we got there. She was helping me most of the time."  
  
"Well, what's her subject," Peter growled with jealously. "I bet ya it was easy!"  
  
"No, not really...she had the Pegasus. How far are you Wormtail?"  
  
"Half a page..." he began.  
  
"Hmmm." Lupin mumbled in his drink.  
  
"1/4 of a page!" Peter hissed the correction in annoyance. 


	3. A walk in the snow

Chapter 3 A walk in the snow  
  
The blizzard had stopped and the sky had turned to a starry midnight blue by 9:00. Sirius and Erica crept out of Gryffindor tower and headed down to the main hall under James loaned invisibility cloak.  
  
They reached the entrance hall and opened the huge oak doors and headed outside. Folding up the cloak they went towards the lake.  
  
"Wow...look at all those stars..you can even see the Little Dipper!" She also named a few other constellations.  
  
"How do you know all of this?" Sirius asked in wonder.  
  
"I read...a lot." Erica laughed.  
  
"What? Why are you laughing?"  
  
"Most people laugh at me...they say I know too much for my own good. That..that I'm like..Snape even.." She muttered sadly.  
  
"LIKE SNAPE!!" Sirius howled with laughter, "No, no, no! Your nothing like him! I think it's great..that you know all this stuff." he said proudly.  
  
She smiled, feeling better, and continued to star gaze for a while.  
  
"Finish your paper?" Erica asked, after a long relaxing silence.  
  
"Yeah it was easy..for once." he said taking her hand. She smiled and they stood and walkied along the edge of the lake bordering the Forbidden forest.  
  
"I never thought you would come out here..I mean break rules and stuff.." he said quickly.  
  
"I break rules all the time!" she said laughing at Sirius's shocked look.  
  
"Really? Like what did you do?" he asked pretending to look at her suspiciously.  
  
"Well...I've taken potions a load of times, you know, from the private stores...and I've gone to the library late at night and taken books.."  
  
"I...well...wow..does James know?" Sirius stuttered.  
  
"Probably not, but now you know how much I'm like James now..a lot more than you thought.." she gave a mysterious smile.  
  
"Your telling me!" Sirius said rubbing his head in thought. "So what about this 'secret'? Will you tell me now?"  
  
"Maybe..." he paused and looked at the pleading look on her face, "Ok, ok!" He couldn't resist puppy dog eyes. He lead her to a rock next to the lake and began pacing before her.  
  
"Well..you know...Lupin?"  
  
"Uh...yeah..of course I do."  
  
"Well..it's ...him...well..."  
  
"That he's a werewolf?" Erica asked calmly.  
  
"What?! How?! Who told you?!" Sirius said nearly falling over.  
  
"I knew already..I've known for a while."  
  
"How? When?" he asked quickly.  
  
"Relax!" she laughed, "I didn't tell anyone, I found out myself. I've known about him for a...hmm.. two years now."  
  
"And..your not scared of him?" Sirius asked mildly impressed, most people would have shunned Lupin if they knew what he was.  
  
"Of course not!" she said shocked that Sirius would think such a thing, "Lupin has never given me any reason to fear or hate him. He's as much as my friend as he is yours!" she said firmly.  
  
"So..how did you find out.." he asked her slowly.  
  
"Honestly! Sirius, it's obvious. I'm surprised no one else has figured it out! Lupin always goes missing around a full moon and looks really ill before it."  
  
"Ok...well.."  
  
"There's something else you want to tell me?" she asked curiously, "Well get on with it! We're burning moon light."  
  
Sirius paused unsure of if he should say it or not.  
  
Erica sighed, "If it will help..I swear I'll never tell anyone... even under torture. Well?" she asked mildly interested in this 'secret'.  
  
"Well, ok. James, Peter and I are Animagus...."  
  
"Wow...in your fifth year?" she asked in shock, "That's amazing..considering your grades..what are your forms?"  
  
"James is a stag, Peter is a rat and I'm a dog.."  
  
"Hmm.."  
  
"Wow you didn't seem impressed long.." he seemed a little put out.  
  
"Well it's not all that amazing since I can do it too.." she said lazily.  
  
"You..you mean you can do it too?!" he nearly yelled at her, "What's you form?!" he asked a little more calmly.  
  
"A Unicorn." she said smiling sweetly.  
  
"That's a lot like a stag..do your forms look alike because you two are related?"  
  
"Right, at least that's what I think. Bother our forms have hooves and horns..well he has antlers ans I have a single spiral horn but..it's close. It runs in the family too. Aunt Anna is a pony and Uncle Oran is a kudu."  
  
"What's a horse..and a kudi?" Sirius asked curiously.  
  
"Kudu," she corrected, "A horse looks like a unicorn but doesn't have a horn and are in different colors, and a kudu has two spiral horns and has the body of a ram." she explained calmly.  
  
"Oh..I see."  
  
"We're even now..we traded secrets, you can tell James, Lupin and Peter if you want...but no one else!" she said forcefully.  
  
"Ok..same for you, don't tell anyone."  
  
Sirius went over to the rock and say next to her. They were quiet for a while. Erica put her head on his shoulder and sighed. Sirius leaned back and gazed up at the sky sighing happily. Erica eventually looked to the silver watch on her wrist.  
  
"Oh my gosh!" she jumped up.  
  
"What?!" Sirius yelped falling off the rock into the snow.  
  
"It's 4:00am!" she said helping him up, "we have to get back to the common room before someone wakes up and notices we're gone!"  
  
They started plowing through the snow towards the castle.  
  
"Wait!" Sirius called quietly, as he caught up to her. He quickly threw the cloak over them...they were in such a hurry they never noticed eyes watching them from the third floor........  
  
Going as fast as they could, they headed back towards the Gryffindor common room. They only had to stop once to avoid Peeves (who was throwing ink pellets on the portraits, who cursed and yelled). After saying the password (noble) they were safe. Erica slowly headed towards the girls dormitory.  
  
"Wait!" Sirius whispered after her. He quickly ran up to her and kissed her on the cheek.  
  
"That wasn't very proper.." she smiled, she wrapped her arms around him and gave him a real kiss. He held her a little closer for a moment longer until the chiming of a near by clock told them it was 5:00.  
  
"Wow......" he whispered still holding her close.  
  
With a smile she gently slipped from his grasp and went up the steps whispering a soft "Goodnight" over her shoulder. Sirius walked over to the fireplace where the fire had long burned out. He thought for a while, he would have a lot to tell the guys in the morning..... 


	4. Snape's worst memory

Disclaimer: As usual anyone you know from the book isn't mine.  
  
Note: This chapter takes place near the end of the year, and there's violence in this chapter so.......not good for younger people..  
  
A/N: I like this chapter because of all the action! Hope you like it as much as I do!!! Oh, and sorry it's so long...once I started writing I just couldn't stop!!  
  
Snape's worst memory  
  
"Wow! So you mean one of those real kisses?! Not the really real kisses?"  
  
"Shut up Peter, before you hurt yourself with all this thinking. We wouldn't want to have another brain malfunction." Moody growled.  
  
"I just wanted details!" peter said defensively.  
  
""Hmm..I had no idea Erica was an Animagus.." James mused, ""I never saw her study on how to transform..or practice.."  
  
"How would you know?!" Lupin asked suspiciously.  
  
"I raid her room for homework and stuff over the summer and 'borrow' books a lot." James explained lazily.  
  
"She must have hidden it well for you to miss anything.." Peter said impressed with Erica's ability to out wit James.  
  
"Yeah, maybe..." James continued to muse.  
  
"Did you tell her about us too?"Lupin asked thoughtfully.  
  
"Yup."  
  
"How did she take it..particularly the part about me.."  
  
"She said she already knew about you Lupin.."  
  
"Really? Impressive..nothing gets past her.." he rubbed his chin and went back to reading his book.  
  
"So what are we gonna call her? Now that she knows everything..and is an Animagus too?"  
  
"What?! Call her...what are you talking about Sirius?" James said startled.  
  
"Well..I mean..for her to.." he looked around to make sure no one was paying attention to them, "join the Marauders.." he whispered.  
  
James looked upset, "She won't..she can't!" he said forcefully.  
  
"Why not?!" Sirius said taken aback by James's reaction.  
  
"Isn't it obvious?" Lupin said not looking away from his book, "He's protective of Erica..he doesn't want anything to happen to her.."  
  
"Oh...well James you don't have to worry about that! We'll look after her..besides she has already proven she can get away with anything!"  
  
"Lupin?!" James looked to Lupin for support.  
  
"Why not let Erica decide?" he suggested.  
  
James sighed, "I already know what her answer will be.."  
  
"Then can we name her?" Sirius asked hopefully.  
  
"Sure, yeah. I guess it would be fun to have her in the 'group'" James admitted.  
  
"Good." Sirius beamed.  
  
"Well, she said she was a unicorn..right?"  
  
"Yup." Sirius nodded.  
  
"I'm named after my antlers, Prongs, so she should be named after her horn.."  
  
"I like the name Spiral.."Lupin said out of no where.  
  
"Have you been planning to name her?" James laughed.  
  
"No, I just thought..you antlers are like prongs and a unicorns horn is like a spiral. So it makes sense."  
  
"Sounds good to me.."  
  
"I like it!" Peter nodded vigorously.  
  
"And maybe she can come out on our.. 'romps' through the woods." Sirius smiled.  
  
"Maybe.." James said doubtfully.  
  
"Let's go down stairs to breakfast, I'm starving!" Moody said abruptly.  
  
They went down to the Great Hall and met Erica at the Gryffindor table. They all sat around her and began to fill their plates.  
  
"Hi, Spiral!" Peter laughed.  
  
"Hmm?" she asked through a mouth full of toast.  
  
"Your one of us now." James explained.  
  
"Ah..." she said thoughtfully, "What an honor."  
  
"What's wrong?" Sirius asked concerned.  
  
"Look.." she nodded over at the Slytherin table. Snape was stabbing at his plate violently with his fork.  
  
"And? What about that git?" Moody asked curiously.  
  
She turned to Sirius and talked quietly to him. The others didn't even notice.  
  
"I don't think we were alone last night..." she muttered quietly.  
  
"You mean..you think he was watching us?!" Sirius started to stand but Erica quickly pulled him back down.  
  
"It's possible. We weren't exactly careful after we left the castle. Anyone could have seen us from an upper floor, easily."  
  
"Why does Snape's temper bother you?"Sirius snorted glaring at him.  
  
"Because..rage is a powerful thing Sirius, people do reckless things when their upset.." She said ominously.  
  
Sirius thought about this for a while. Most guys in the school thought Erica was very pretty and would want to go out with her too. Could Snape be jealous? Sirius didn't even think Snape had a heart for that kind of thing..only for the Dark Arts.  
  
"What do you want me to do?" he asked her calmly.  
  
"Stay away from him, and if he says anything to you..walk away. No matter what." she said firmly, looking him in the eye.  
  
"Sure.."  
  
"No.. swear it.."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"I don't want you to get hurt or in trouble.." she said taking his hand.  
  
"Ok, ok..I swear."  
  
Erica raised her eyebrows but said nothing more about it.  
  
During the 4th class of the day, History of Magic, with Professor Manger James had begun to taunt Snape. Class started with Snape resembling a turnip, by color at least. (red)  
  
"I don't think you should do that Prongs.."Sirius warned.  
  
"Man, my sis is changing you! Where's your good old sense of adventure and danger?"  
  
"With Erica..." he muttered so James couldn't hear. He said nothing for the rest of class.  
  
During class James appeared to be making a plan to get Snape..another trick. Sirius would have to stop James before he did something really stupid. At the end of class Snape headed down a deserted hallway.  
  
"Excellent!" James hissed hiding behind a pillar.  
  
"James!" Sirius said desperately, "We..we have to get to Herbology in 5 minutes!" he lied.  
  
"This will only take a second Black." James muttered over his shoulder as he crept after Snape.  
  
As James came out from behind a pillar further down the hall to attack, Snape whirled around and shouted "Expelliarmus!". James's wand went flying out of his hand and he was flung into the opposite wall by the force of the spell. Sirius gripped with rage drew his own wand and charged at Snape.  
  
"Your asking for twice as worse Black!" Snape shouted hoarsely.  
  
"Why?" Sirius seethed enraged. He was fighting the impulse to fight and listen to Erica at the same time.  
  
"You...her...!" Snape sputtered, shaking.  
  
"She's a Potter! She would sooner die then be with you! And why like her?! You hated her after she outscored you on the Defense Against the Dark Arts O.W.L's!!!"  
  
"St...still!" Snape raved on.  
  
"And on top of being hideous, your in Slytherin! She hates you little forked tongued ...." Sirius was flung back by a spell that he never even saw coming. The energy of the blast burned his skin, he flew several feet to the floor and lay still on the cold stone floor.  
  
"How do you know what she want's!" Snape spat.  
  
James was recovering and tried to stand and attempted to say something, but it only sounded like some curse words slurred together.  
  
"Wash your mouth!" Snape snarled with laughter as he shouted "Scourgify" pointing his wand at James's face. Bubbles began to pour from James's mouth .  
  
Sputtering, James dropped onto all fours and looked for his wand.  
  
"Accio wand!" Snape said smoothly.  
  
James's wand shot out of his reach and landed in Snape's hand.  
  
"Not so tough without your wand or your friends are we, hmm?" he taunted. Snape began to circle James like a predator going in for the kill.  
  
"Why are..you doing..this?" James panted, spitting out soap.  
  
"Revenge, you fool! Revenge! After all you've done to me! You thought I would take it laying down? Never! Here I make my stand! And I'm not finished with you...you'll be lucky to be even able to walk after this!"  
  
"Reducto!"  
  
James staggered backwards, his foot catching a step to a staircase leading down to the 2nd floor. James fell and tumbled down the steps. When he hit the last step a loud crack of bones could be heard. James lay there unconscious.  
  
Looking around, Snape thought for a moment. He then ran off and returned a few moments later, "You see!" Snape was explaining to Professor Banner who he was leading to the scene, "Potter mush had fallen down the stairs..I found Black upstairs not far way..they must have been dueling..."  
  
Professor Banner sneered, "Well...yes..right you appear to be..Go warn Madam Poller that I'm bringing them.."  
  
"As you wish." Snape said with a respectful nod to Professor Banner and started towards the hospital wing with the most triumphant smile on his face.  
  
Later that day, with much healing, James was released from the hospital wing with a splint for his arm. Sirius was still too badly hurt to be released. Snape's spell had hit him dead center in the chest so he was having trouble breathing.  
  
Limping down the hall to the Gryffindor common room he mused on what had happened, anb how Sirius had warned him...  
  
"James!" Peter shrieked like a worried mother, as he passed the portrait. "What happened?!" He asked in shock.  
  
James painfully sat down in a chair close to the fire and sighed heavily, "Snape..." he muttered rubbing his head, "Where's Moony?" he asked after looking around.  
  
"Full moon..." Moody said looking out the window, "He has been out there for about and hour or so already.  
  
"We better go then..." he said looking at Peter who nodded and stood too.  
  
Taking the invisibility cloak they headed out to the Whomping Willow.  
  
By the time they got to the tree James's limp had improved a little and his muscles were allowing more movement.  
  
Moody got a long stick and prodded the knot. The tree instantly froze and allowed them to go towards it.  
  
They quickly shifted into their Animagus forms and went into a tunnel that lead to the Shrieking Shack. Lupin was curled up in the corner snarling.  
  
"Hey, Lupin!" James said in the animal language they used when in this form.  
  
Lupin growled a hello and went up to them, his tail wagging a little.  
  
"Where..Black?" he growled in the same language except his 'voice' was very deep and slow.  
  
"Hurt, he's in the hospital wing.." James explained.  
  
Lupin nodded, "Let's..go!" he headed towards the door and went outside where he romped playfully in the grass. The others followed, Peter being the last to leave because he was the slowest in Animagus form.  
  
Moody's panther form followed casually. Lupin stopped for a moment and looked at Moody, "You no usually come!"  
  
"Just taking Blacks place for today." Moody growled in response.  
  
Lupin looked at him for a long moment, then shrugging went on romping through the tall grass.  
  
After about an hour they froze at the sound of distant thudding that was getting closer.  
  
"What do we do if it's a person?" Moody asked.  
  
"...chase Lupin off..and hope for the best.." James replied as he strained to hear what was approaching.  
  
"You left without me!" came a whinny.  
  
"What?" Peter squeaked.  
  
Erica's unicorn form came galloping up to them, and then came to a plowing stop in front of them sending dirt into the air. She then snorted releasing puffs of steam into the cool air.  
  
"Hey, Spiral..we were worried you were someone else!" Peter chattered.  
  
Lupin bounded up to her and sniffed her nose and batted playfully at her horn.  
  
"Come on..let's move into the forest before were seen." Moody said glancing towards the castle.  
  
They all raced towards the forest. Erica got there first being faster and stronger and able to plow threw the snow easily. James couldn't even keep up with her.  
  
A few hours later, as the night came to an end, they headed back to the Whomping Willow. They only had an hour before Lupin would change back into a man.  
  
None of them noticed someone moving in the shadows of the castle moving to the trees.  
  
Once they were inside the spy ran quickly towards the tree with a long handle of a broom in his hand. Staying low he poked the trees knot.  
  
The tree stopped it's threatening moments and fell still.  
  
The spy slowly followed the tunnel that lead to the Shrieking Shack.  
  
James didn't hear anything till he heard the creaking of the stairs leading up to the room they were in. Wormtail went to go investigate.  
  
Lupin raised his head and began to growl the hair on his back rising. He bore his teeth and his claws began to sink into the wood of the floor.  
  
"That can't be a good sign..." Erica snorted, backing into the corner furthest from Lupin, her hooves making hollow thudding sounds that seemed to echo through the shack.  
  
The door behind James's stag form flew open. Peter scurried between the feet of the intruder, who didn't even notice.  
  
"Well, well, well. A nice club meeting of the idiots. A stag..probably Potter..A panther, Alasor.." Snape smiled in triumph, "And a filthy little rat, Pettigrew.." He looked at the dark brown unicorn with bright brown eyes in the corner, "And the other Potter.." he sneered, Erica tossed her mane and glared at him, "And...and...and..." Snape's eyes had fallen on the werewolf who was snarling in his own corner. Lupin drew himself his full height, drooling and snarling. He gave a mighty snarl.  
  
"GET OUT OF HERE SNAPE!" James yelled, as he returned to his human form.  
  
Lupin lunged, teeth bared. Before Snape could even respond James jumped at him too and knocked him out of the doorway. James then dragged Snape out of the Whomping Willow and ran with him.  
  
Lupin flew after them with a unicorn, rat and panther following. Lupin easily caught up with James and Snape, but Erica was running beside him easily keeping stride.  
  
In a instant James was a stag again and charged, antlers down, at Lupin. Lupin came to a skidding stop and avoided James.  
  
"Man flesh! Move!" Lupin howled, enraged.  
  
James put himself between Snape and Lupin again brandishing his antlers. Erica circled around and stood next to James swinging her horn threateningly.  
  
"No Lupin!" she whinnied forcefully.  
  
Lupin shaking with eagerness and rage tried to charge past his friends, but failed. Giving a roar of rage he plowed into James knocking him over. Snape frozen with fear was just standing there. Lupin rushed at him and when he was only two feet away jumped. In midair Erica smashed into him, they both landed in a heap of snarling and shrieking neighs.  
  
The sky began to get lighter, but still Lupin was going to remained in his werewolf form until the sun rose, so he continued to fight.  
  
Snape finally started running towards the castle. Lupin still desperate to kill, slipped under Erica and rushed at Snape again. This time Erica made a more violent move. Leaping forward she grabbed Lupin's tail in her teeth and threw him into the air behind her. Turning she charged at Lupin who was already recovering from his fall. Giving a yelp, Lupin turned tail and ran from her. She chased Lupin all the way to the edge of the Forbidden forest where he began to change in mid stride. Howling in pain Lupin transformed.  
  
Erica looked back to see where Snape had gone, but found that he was gone.  
  
Lupin looked around looking confused, "Wha..what happened?" he asked rubbing his shoulder.  
  
James, Moody, Peter and Erica quickly transformed.  
  
"Forget that! We gotta get back to the castle!" James said desperately, turning they quickly ran back to the Gryffindor common room.  
  
The next few days went by poorly for everyone (mostly because of O.W.Ls), but what amazed the Marauders most was that Snape said nothing about the attack. They had expected Snape to be rattling it off to the whole school. But there was only the normal stress of the exams.  
  
"I guess we should be calling it a good thing.."Lupin said quietly in the boys dormitory.  
  
"No.." Erica said seeming a bit detached, "This means he has something on us now..he can tell anyone that we're Animagus and that Lupin's a werewolf."  
  
"She's right.." James admitted, coming to the window that Erica was standing at. He watched some first years run from some Slytherin bullies. James actually found himself feeling good that he had saved Snape's life. Yes, James hated Snape and vice versa but James would never kill him.  
  
"Too bad I missed it.." Sirius said regretfully from his bed. Sirius was still recovering from Snape's attack but was defiantly doing much better. All Sirius had now was damaged pride. "Don't be."Peter said shuddering from the memory.  
  
It would be time to go home soon. They would recover from the mayhem over the summer, and plan next years destruction.  
  
Sighing, Erica went to her own dormitory to finish packing her things. She smiled as she picked up a picture (that moved inside) of her and Sirius in the snow 4 months ago. Sirius was on her right with his arm around her and she was making bunny ears behind his head. A lot had happened in just those 4 months. What else would have to change before there was no more trouble..or pain?  
  
Snape sat under a tree by the lake, staring out at the glass like water. A faint breeze blew trough his shoulder length hair, as he mused on pass events.  
  
He had longed to tell the shool what had happened but whan he had gone to the headmaster he had told him to never say anything about it, to keep it a secret.  
  
Angry Snape stood and hurled a rock he had been holding, into the lake. Shaking he walked closer to the water edge, and looked down at his reflection.  
  
He felt sick, humiliation burning his face. He'd been a fool, an idiot. He had been too hungry for revenge..he had lost control.  
  
"Potter will pay.." Snape hissed at his reflection. James would suffer more..for all the things he had done to him over the years. This had only been the first step, but next year.....  
  
But then Snape's reflection smiled sickly back at him.  
  
"But how do you get revenge on people who saved your life?" he muttered, smiling sadly at the rippling waters. 


	5. The Makers of the Map

Disclaimer: As usual anything you recognize isn't mine.  
  
A/N: Well here we go..the next chapter, their 6th year..gulps..hope all goes well..Enjoy!!!! Oh..and sorry it's so long.  
  
Chapter 5 The Makers of the Map  
  
The summer had sped by quickly in the Potter household, so quickly that it seemed to take them by surprise.  
  
Erica found herself quickly, but neatly, packing her things back into her Hogwarts trunk...until she found some things missing.  
  
"James!" she yelled standing up and storming off to his room. She began to bang on his door, "James! Give them back! There mine! Get your own!"  
  
"Hold on!" came a muffled response from behind the door.  
  
Erica growled and tapped her foot in impatience. She waited for nearly five minutes. "James! NOW!"  
  
"WAIT!"  
  
"NO! AND WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO YOUR OWN QUILL AND BOOKS!" she yelled at the door.  
  
There was a sound of footsteps coming up the stairs, "What going on?" Sirius asked. Sirius had spent most of the summer with the Potters. His mother had kicked him out of the house again, shunning him from the family. Sirius seemed to be very happy about this.  
  
"James took my quill and three of my books!" she yelled at the still closed door.  
  
"Here." Sirius said handing her a knife. She looked at him curiously. "It's a knife that will open any door." he said proudly. Opening the knife she ran it by the lock. There was a small click.  
  
She grinned at him, "I need to borrow this sometime!"  
  
"You can keep it for now if you want."  
  
They headed into the room and found James sitting at his desk writing so fast that ink was spattering on his face.  
  
"Oh, for gods sake James! I keep telling you not to save your homework till the day before!" she scolded him, her hands on her hips. "Thanks mom.." James said distracted, "I'll come down to dinner in a minute.."  
  
Sirius laughed, "It's not even lunchtime yet, mate."  
  
James looked up, "Oh..uh..sorry Erica but I really have to finish this."  
  
"But what happened to your own quill? And your books?" Erica questioned angrily.  
  
"Lost my books and broke my quill..by accident of course."  
  
"Really..? You know..I don't have to let you borrow them." she said slyly, moving to take her books and quill back.  
  
James sighed, "What do you want?"  
  
"I want to ride your broom!" she said looking to James's racing broom in the corner of the room.  
  
"Ok." James said turning back to his work, "Take it..just be careful with it."  
  
"Sure.." she said happily taking the broom.  
  
"Wait for me! I brought my broom too!" Sirius ran off to get his own broom and met her outside.  
  
James and Erica's parents had boughed a house out in the country where they got plenty of privacy, so they could ride there brooms with out being noticed.  
  
Erica was already weaving through the trees and doing some fancy spins.  
  
"Hey!" Sirius flew up to her, "Your not half bad..it must run in the family. I only wish we had Quidditch balls to practice with..."  
  
"We can throw apples.." she suggested pointing to the apple trees.  
  
"Ok...will your parents care?" Sirius asked.  
  
"No we have plenty."  
  
Sirius landed and picked a few apples and then began throwing them. Erica was a natural Seeker, almost as good as James. They switched places occasionally as the morning sped by.  
  
"Dinner!" Mrs. Potter called out the door.  
  
"Yes! I'm starving!" Sirius exclaimed.  
  
Erica laughed and agreed. They quickly headed inside and washed up.  
  
"James! Dinner!" Mrs. Potter called up the stairs.  
  
"I'll be down soon!" he called back. "What on Earth can that boy be doing?!" Mrs. Potter said suspiciously.  
  
"Don't worry mum, he's actually working on homework he put off again." Erica explained.  
  
Mrs. Potter sighed, "Alright, well you two sit down and start eating." she disappeared into the kitchen. "So...where's your dad?" Sirius asked after filling his plate with food.  
  
"Still at work.."  
  
"What does he do?"  
  
"He's an Auror..works for the Ministry."  
  
"And your mum?" he asked curiously.  
  
"She works in the Management of Magic. You know..she handles illegal stuff like underage magic."  
  
"I'd love to be an Auror.." Sirius said dreamily.  
  
"You'll need top grades for that." Erica informed him as her mother came back into the dinning room. James could also be heard running down the stairs. James ran into the room and plopped down into a chair next to Sirius.  
  
"Dad home yet?" he asked filling his plate.  
  
"No not yet. He sent a letter saying he'll be back tomorrow and he said to have a good term if he doesn't see you in the morning. He's off chasing dark wizards... as usual." Mrs. Potter added a bit sadly.  
  
"Don't worry mum. He's a really good Auror. He'll be fine." James said confidently.  
  
"Yes..I think your right..but I can't help but worry about him.."  
  
The rest of dinner was about Quidditch and the two most likely teams that would reach the finals for the Quidditch World Cup. After dinner they all helped with the dishes, and then played wizards chess in the living room.  
  
Mrs. Potter came in at the end of the fifth game, "Alright, time for bed. It's late and we have to catch the train to Hogwarts tomorrow." they obediently got up to go, "Oh, and James dear?"  
  
"Yes, mum?"  
  
"Please pack your trunk tonight. We won't have time in the morning, and remember you made us all late last year..."  
  
"Yes, yes, yes...I'll do it tonight!" James said flushing a deep red as he ran upstairs, with Erica and Sirius laughing at him.  
  
They all got up relatively early to eat and dress with plenty of time to get to the station, but naturally there were problems.  
  
"James! What are my books?" Erica was yelling from her room.  
  
"I gave them back!"  
  
"No you didn't!"  
  
"Yes I did." James said as a-matter-of-factly.  
  
"Where did you put them?"  
  
"Don't remember.." James said vaguely.  
  
"You..I .. gonna kill you!" she charged at him from the hall and knocked him to the floor.  
  
"Ow..hey...ah...what? Why are you..urg..attacking me?!" James tried to push her off, but she got him in a headlock.  
  
"Where are my books..and my quill?!"  
  
"Urg..MUM!" James yelled.  
  
"James Potter! Give back what ever you took from your sister!" Mrs. Potter yelled up the stairs, knowing what had happened. Erica let go of James so he could start looking for her stuff.  
  
Nearly an hour later and they were finally leaving the house. They rushed to the train station pushing their trolleys as they went.  
  
"Hurry, Hurry!" Mrs. Potter urged them on, "We have 3 minutes!" They quickly went to platform nine and ran through it to platform nine and three quarters. The great scarlet engine sat before them giving off puffs of steam, waiting to go. Mrs. Potter quickly helped them onto the train.  
  
"Now be sure to write!" She yelled to them from the platform.  
  
"Don't forget to tell dad we said 'Bye'!" Erica yelled out the window.  
  
"I will!" was her last response, before the train was off.  
  
It was raining heavily by the time the train reached the school.  
  
"Oh, great!" Peter whined, he had already been complaining for most of the trip. "Still a whiner are we?" James asked in annoyance and he hopped off the train. Peter flushed a bright red.  
  
They pulled their trunks to the carriages and got in after making sure their stuff was secured to the carriage. About ten minutes later the carriages came to a stop at the oak doors. Everyone headed inside to escape the now pounding rain.  
  
"Come on! I wanna get good seats this year!" Lupin said hurrying towards the part of the table that was closest to the front of the room. The rest quickly followed.  
  
As usual the sorting hat was sitting on a stool in front of the teachers table. The hat broke into it's song. The song was quick, explaining all the houses and the requirements for each. Gryffindor favored bravery, Ravenclaw favored intelligence, Hufflepuff like hard workers and Slytherin who only took the best and pureblooded. When the song was over the sorting began. Professor Growth was the one to call out the names this year. The sorting took a good 20 minutes of their time, and by the end of it James and Sirius were chucking pieces of balled up tissue at each other, until Professor Dippet stood to speak.  
  
"Another year here at Hogwarts! It is good to see both old and new faces! Now with out further a do let the feast begin!" with a clap of his hands the plates filled with food.  
  
"I love this part!" James said seizing a piece of chicken. They all ate until they were stuffed.  
  
"Now that we are all full and quit comfortable," Professor Dippet said standing before the school again, "On with the few announcements I have. Quidditch will begin at its normal time but with tryouts this year since all our 7th years left us, for there are now places on the teams that must be filled. And as every year I say this for the first years and a reminder to all, that the Forbidden forest is off limits to all. Well I believe that is it, may you all sleep well and be ready for tomorrow's lessons." With that, Professor Dippet left the Great Hall.  
  
As always the beginning of the year started slowly for everyone but then gradually sped up. It was now the middle of the term, a rainy, cold day. Peter and Sirius were playing wizards chess by the window. Lupin and Moody were working on a class project for Care of Magical Creatures. James, as usual, was piled high with homework that he had put off.  
  
"Why do you wait so long to do it?" Erica ask him. Erica was sitting on the floor by the fire reading a book she had gotten over the summer. She unlike James finished all her work ahead of time.  
  
"Yes, well sorry we all aren't all like you miss perfect!" James snapped.  
  
"You could do with being more like me! Your current grades are horrible!" she snapped back.  
  
"Whatever." James said throwing his books back into his bag, "Hey Sirius want to go play some Quidditch?"  
  
"In this weather?" Sirius asked raising an eyebrow. James sighed walking over to the chess board.  
  
Erica glared at him, "Why don't you ever ask me?"  
  
"Because your not a Seeker, you're a Chaser.." James said as if it really mattered.  
  
Erica had made the Quidditch team and had taken the place of a student that had left last year. Even though Sirius thought she would make a better Seeker she was good at being a Chaser too. Erica probably would have done well anywhere..well maybe not a Beater...too dangerous.  
  
James gave an even bigger sigh, "I'm bored!" he growled in aggravation. Then he seemed to be hit with an idea. He waved everyone closer. Once gathered he began to talk quickly, "Why don't we make a map!" he said eagerly.  
  
"Map? Map of what?" Peter asked curiously, Moody already not liking the idea left the little circle they had made and continued his work.  
  
"Hogwarts you idiot! Something worth doing!" James hissed in annoyance.  
  
"But..what would the map do?" Lupin asked a little confused, "I mean if we put secret passages on it anyone could read it..."  
  
James smiled mysteriously, "That's where Erica comes in," he nodded at her, "She knows everything..so all we have to do is draw it and she'll charm it to make it do anything we want it to do.."  
  
"You make it sound like she'd do it.." Sirius said glancing at Erica.  
  
"I will." she said shortly. Everyone looked surprised, James usually had to beg Erica to do the littlest thing for him.  
  
"Really?" Peter asked shocked.  
  
"Yes..I already have a few charms I want to put on it.."  
  
"Have you two talked about this?" Lupin asked suspiciously.  
  
"He's talked about it all summer." Erica said smoothly, "I just agreed that it was a good idea."  
  
"So what will this map be able to do?" Sirius asked wondering why he hadn't heard about this.  
  
"It'll show all the secret entrances and how to get into them, and it'll keep tabs on people, animals and ghosts wondering around the castle. That's so you can avoid trouble." James explained eagerly.  
  
"And you can charm it to do all this?" Lupin asked Erica.  
  
"Yes." she said confidently.  
  
"Well let's get started!" Sirius exclaimed quietly, "I can't wait to use it!"  
  
It took the Marauders nearly two months to draw every room in the castle and add details that would be useful to know. It only took Erica four days to charm the map to show everyone moving around and add security. She personally thought her security idea was a good one.  
  
"So what does it do?" Lupin asked.  
  
"Well try it. Try a reveling spell or something." she said eagerly.  
  
"Alright, show your secrets!" Lupin said firmly pointing to the map with his wand. Sirius, James and Peter watched eagerly.  
  
There was a long pause before something happened, "Spiral would like it if Remus Lupin would keep his big fat nose out of other peoples business!" the words appeared on the map.  
  
"Why does it only say you?" James asked.  
  
"Well I still have to add you guys and I wanted to test it first. The insults get better the more you try to find out what it is.." she said with a evil like smile.  
  
Lupin tapped the map again curious to see what it would say, "Miss Spiral would like you to go away and boil yourself in frog spawn!" Sirius snorted with laughter, James tried and got the response, "Go marry a hippogriff!" and Sirius got, "Calling you an idiot would insult all the stupid people!" James broke into insane laughter. The peter tried and got, "You've got a face that only a mother would love..too bad she hates it too." they all laughed at that.  
  
"I like them..but I think we should all add some.." Sirius said wiping tears of laughter away.  
  
"Ok sure..just tell me what you want to put.. But first you should know how to work it. You say 'I solemnly swear that I'm up to no good' to be able to see everything, and to clear it you say 'mischief managed'." For the rest of the day they came up with nasty little insults for the Map of Hogwarts, a lot of them like, 'Your mother's so fat that when she gets on the scale it says 'To be continued'.'  
  
With the map the Marauders went out almost every night and never got caught. They went to Hogsmeade during the weekends, snuck into the caretakers office and took confiscated items (mostly joke items like dung booms) and wandered into the Forbidden forest just for the heck of it. Before any of them new it, they only had 3 months of school left. Feeling better then usual Lupin wandered into the Great Hall for breakfast.  
  
"Morning." Lupin said happily to his fellow Marauders.  
  
"Well someone woke up on the good side of the bed today." Peter grinned. Peter would have said more but he was interrupted by the post owls flooding the room. An owl landed in front of Erica, who looked confused.  
  
"Why would mother be sending an owl now?" Erica took the note from the family owl, Krone. She quickly read the letter. By the time she was done reading she looked very pail. "What? What is it?!" James asked quickly after seeing her expression.  
  
"Dad...is dying.."she choked.  
  
"What?!" James yelled. Everyone in the Great Hall turned and looked at him. "What happened? Where is he?!"  
  
"He's at St. Mungo's...he got attacked by a dark wizard.." she looked around to make sure that no one else was listening, "Mum thinks that the Dark Lord himself attacked him...because dad keeps muttering all this strange stuff about Him and his Death Eaters.." she whispered darkly.  
  
"Where did he get attacked? And when?" Sirius asked concerned, the Potters were like a second family to him (If you considered the Blacks his family).  
  
"Dunno..mum doesn't say.." Erica said sadly, reading the letter again.  
  
"We have to go to him!" James said firmly.  
  
"Relax James," Lupin began but James cut him off.  
  
"No, this is my dad were talking about! I'm not going to sit around and wait!" he stood and stormed off back to the Gryffindor common room.  
  
"James!?" Erica called running after him. The others stayed where they were, knowing very well, not to get involved.  
  
"We can't just leave school! Dad wouldn't want us to get expelled for leaving!" she said catching up to him.  
  
"You might not care but I do!" James said glaring at her out of the corner of his eye.  
  
"What rubbish! Of course I care. If you haven't noticed he's my father too!"  
  
"Well then you can stay here and I'll go..." he turned away from her and ran into someone, "Watch where your.." he began angrily.  
  
"Headmaster!" Erica said startled.  
  
Professor Dippit smiled at them, "I believe I heard something about leaving.."  
  
"Oh..well..yes...Professor, you see we got a letter from our mum...our father is very..well..he's dying." Erica explained quickly, stammering.  
  
"Ah yes, that was the reason I was looking for you two. You are to both go home at once, by your mothers wishes of course."  
  
"Really?" James asked eagerly.  
  
"Yes." Professor Dippit smiled again, "Now go fetch your things..." "But Professor!" Erica argued halfheartedly, "Not that I'm not worried about my father..but..what about school...O.WLS?"  
  
"You will return for finals." Professor Dippet said more seriously.  
  
Erica nodded and quickly followed James to the Gryffindor common room. "That's just like you!" James spat.  
  
"Like what?" she asked, mildly angry.  
  
"For you to worry about school and not give a rats tail about anything else!" he raged at her.  
  
Erica kept her face expressionless, "Well, I've set priorities, father wouldn't want me to fail! So I want to make him proud..." she said quietly.  
  
"Whatever!" James said angrily. He disappeared into the boys dormitory slamming the door behind him.  
  
Erica tried to remain calm but found herself cramming things into her trunk and throwing things around. Why did everything have to happen this year? When O.W.L tests were starting soon. She didn't blame her father, he had only been doing his job. He had known that there were risks involved with his job. A job that one day she considered doing. She didn't know she was crying till she looked in the mirror before she left. Wiping the tears away, she met James in the common room and walked silently out to the carriage that was waiting for them.  
  
Before the carriage pulled away Professor Dippit said quietly to them, "You will return a week before O.W.Ls. Give your mother my best." And with a sad look at the two of them he signaled the carriage to leave. 


End file.
